In this year’s General Election there are two candidates running for the Republican ticket for the Rooks County Commissioner District #1 seat. They are incumbent Greg Balthazor (Independent) and Kayla Hilbrink (Republican).

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At the Rooks County Commission meeting held on Tuesday, October 25th, commissioners John Ruder and Tim Berland voted to include the county weed department in the base pay increase just approved for the road and bridge, and landfill departments. They noted that this department also sprays the roads, and uses heavy equipment as part of their jobs as well as works together with the road and bridge department.

If walls could talk, the Prairie View Schoolhouse, located south of Stockton, would have thousands of stories to tell about the girls and boys who attended school there in the 1930s and 1940s and many years before, learning their reading, writing and arithmetic from Miss June Arnold. But since walls can’t talk, it is so very fortunate that one of those students, Mrs.

Next Tuesday, November 8th is Election Day and all registered voters should exercise their RIGHT to vote! Up for election are candidates at the state level, as well as the national level for U.S. Senate and U.S.

At the October 18th meeting of the Stockton City Commission, members of the Rooks County Main Street Development committee, Beth Oller, Sally Lowry and Denae Denio-Odle were at the meeting to talk to the commissioners about the options for the Trading Post building in Stockton.

At the regular meeting of the Rooks County Commission held on Tuesday, October 18th, commissioners John Ruder and Tim Berland approved the purchase of a 2018 pay loader for the road and bridge department. The cost is $213,000.00 with financing from Farmers National Bank who had the low interest bid for the three-year loan. The department’s old machine will be put on Purple Wave. The commissioners also approved the purchase of a copy machine for the county attorney’s office in the amount of $5,499.00.

Five of our Rooks County 4-H youth competed at the 90th Kansas Junior Livestock Show held September 30 to October 2 in Hutchinson, bringing home many Top 5 placings in their respective classes. The Kansas Junor Livestock Show (KJLS) got its start in November 1933, drawing 500 exhibitors and more than 1,000 head of livestock to the Wichita Forum.

Rooks County Emergency Management Director Butch Post served as the Kansas Emergency Management Association (KEMA) President for the past year. Some of Post’s duties as president had him overseeing the meetings of the organization, keeping the county emergency managers informed on political and legal matters, meeting with state representatives, and overseeing when there were state disasters to coordinate with counties to help in times of need.

The goal for this year’s PRIDE project was to focus on Stockton’s Main Street cleanup just in time for the town's 150th celebration. The Stockton High School students, teachers, staff and volunteers were out in full force on Wednesday, October 19th, during the PRIDE Work Day. The students divided up into several project groups and were kept busy up and down the Main Street district throughout the afternoon.